And as ignorant as that silly farm boy was about the awesome benefits of the dark side*, it illustrated an obvious point.

Up until his comprehensive loss to Vader, he really hadn’t been aware how powerful the dark side was.

And that’s how a lot of people approach customer surveys (or marketing surveys – either term works fine).

They just don’t know the power of them.

“Now, witness the firepower of this fully operational… survey”

I’m sure you know what a survey is.

But I’m going to repeat it here, since it’s kinda fundamental to what we’re talking about.

A survey’s a way of asking your customers how they see what you do, and how well you’re doing it.

By the way, I’m not talking about those paper card “customer satisfaction surveys” you get in restaurants, where you just tick a few boxes.

No, I mean actually asking them. Getting them to spill the beans on what problems you solve for them, what they actually want from you, what you’re getting right or (more importantly) how you can do it better.

And when your customers talk, the information they provide is power.

Marketing and business power, dropped right at your feet like an Imperial Admiral clutching his throat.

“A certain point of view”

I’m a copywriter, so I view how you use surveys from a copywriting or marketing perspective.

And that perspective is this:

Use what your customers say to understand them better and tailor your marketing accordingly

(Note: this isn’t a cheap trick. If you don’t understand what your customers want and are just conning them into believing otherwise, you deserve to be tossed into the Sarlacc)

This is key for a copywriter. If your copy or message doesn’t connect with your customers, you’ve wasted your time, no matter clever your words are.

So when you get your customers’ words in your hot little hands, you’ve got you need to improve every piece of marketing for your business. Your website, your emails, your flyers and posters, even sales or landing pages if you use them.

But that’s just the copywriter’s point of view.

The survey is just like the double-bladed lightsabre – it works both ways.

So when you, the business owner, collect the hard data from your surveys, you might also find you can:

Improve your offerings to better serve your customers or fix gaps you may have

Develop new products to solve other problems your customers have

Stop offering certain products or services that customers are giving the thumbs down

“Great, kid. Don’t get cocky.”

In the vein of a screechy Luke Skywalker blowing away his first TIE Fighter, you may be rubbing your hands with a confident excitement over what secrets a survey will uncover for you.

You may already have a long list of questions you’re ready to put to them.

But think about that list, stretching down the page. Now think about your customers taking one look at that list and thinking “Ergh, no way am I wasting the next 15 minutes on that”.

So you’re going to keep it short. Really short.

In fact, there’s only 1 question you need to ask.

The answers to this question will tell you whether your product or service is helping your customers, if (and how) it can be improved or whether there’s room to develop something new.

And it’ll give you the language to tailor your copy and ensure it’s talking to their pains and desires.

Here it is:

What’s the biggest challenge you’re currently up against trying to achieve (whatever you think their goal is)?

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A Little About Dean

Dean is a Melbourne-based conversion and direct response copywriter - in other words, he writes copy specifically designed to sell. His work focuses on landing pages, emails, websites and sales pages, along with the odd lead magnet. He's also fond of a good cup of tea.